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FAMILY: An Lasairéan – work-in-progress

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Fizz and Chips Theatre Company are developing a new show for children and they want your help. They are in the very early stages of creation and are holding an open sharing to get your feedback on some ideas for their new show An Lasairéan. An Lasairéan is a bilingual show as Gaeilge agus Béarla

FREE, booking advised

FAMILY CINEMA: TOY STORY 4

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) has always been confident about his place in the world, and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. So when Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (voice of Tony Hale), declares himself as “trash” and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to

€4

CINEMA: ROCKETMAN

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

ROCKETMAN is an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story - set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton - tells the

€6 – €9

Margaret Atwood – Live in Cinemas

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

On Tuesday, September 10th, the wait will be over….The Testaments, Margaret Atwood’s highly anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, is revealed. The momentous literary event will be celebrated with an exclusive live cinema broadcast, as Fane Productions present an evening with the Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic and inventor. The publication of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale in 1985 and the

€12 – €15

THEATRE: Sophie,  Ben, and other Problems by Conor Burke

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Sophie and Ben love each other a lot, but sometimes, they make that a bit too difficult for themselves. Two twenty-somethings who are trying to find their way in the world, they guide us through their lives of low-key alcoholism, deeply rooted regret, and unfortunate sexual mishaps. Join Sophie and Ben as they impart some

€10 – €12

VISUAL ART: THE GREAT IRISH WEATHER EXHIBITION

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue? Or what makes a rainbow? This family friendly exhibition explores what weather is and how it happens. Get ready to learn about cold fronts and climate change, satellites and scientists, forecasting and broadcasting - and even how storms get their names. Curated by Riverbank Arts Centre,

COMEDY – DIRTBIRDS Self-Help Tour

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Back by popular demand...! If making the school lunches, doing the jaysus homework and dodging the guards because your NCT is out by two years is sending you over the edge, you are not alone. Come and join the Dirtbirds as they navigate the stresses and strains of modern life in their brand new comedy

€18 – €20

VISUAL ARTS: TOTALLY EAST

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Photos by Harald Hauswald Text/Curation by Stefan Wolle Remembering the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, this photography exhibition powerfully portrays everyday situations in the GDR. Harald Hauswald images feature run-down façades, punks and ordinary workers, he simply wanted to document everyday life — without knowing that the Berlin Wall would one

FREE

CINEMA: GLORIA BELL

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Gloria (Julianne Moore), a free spirited divorcée, spends her days selling insurance and her nights dancing to disco anthems at an LA singles club for the over fifties. Struggling to retain her cheerful outlook in a world where women her age are considered invisible, she finds the potential for romance when she meets newly-divorced Arnold

€6 – €9

SPECIAL SCREENING: AMAZING GRACE – Aretha Franklin

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Entering the venue unobtrusively, she smiles briefly, gathers herself for a moment and then starts to sing. Gently at first, but then ever more powerfully, her voice begins to carry the audience away into the infinity of paradise. In January 1972, Aretha Franklin made her legendary album ‘Amazing Grace’ with the Southern California Community Choir

€6 – €9

CULTURE NIGHT: The Lady and the Unicorn

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

The Lady and the Unicorn is a fun multimedia one-woman show. With the aid of a screen and projector and a table full of props Carol O’Neill shares her favourite artworks inspired in one way or another by Celtic mythology. Over 30 artists are celebrated including medieval unicorn tapestries with hidden mysteries, mythical hare sculptures

FREE, booking advised

CINEMA: RAFIKI

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Hotly anticipated at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Rafiki tells the story of two young women, Kena and Ziki, who find love despite mounting political and family pressures. Based on Monica Arac de Nyeko’s short story, which won the 2007 Caine Prize for African fiction, director Wanuri Kahiu (Pumzi) adds bold, cutting edge vision to

€6 – €9

FAMILY: ADOLETA

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

A-do-le-TA! is a dance theatre piece that joyously explores friendship and play. Come with Joy and Sky into a world where everything is possible - a tent can be a crab, an umbrella can be a cloud and the moon can sing! Through play two friends overcome differences and together imagine, create and expand their

€8 – €28

FAMILY EVENT: InThePicture in association with Sightsavers Ireland

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

#InThePicture Join Sightsavers Ireland on September 28th for a celebration of art, inclusion and equality. We are celebrating the launch of our brand new #InThePicture engagement programme for primary school children supported by Irish Aid. Join us for a day of art-based fun while learning a little bit more about disability inclusion, community empowerment and

FREE

CINEMA: FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Rural Ireland during the 1960s; teenage traveller Frances (a break-out performance from Hazel Doupe) has to learn to fend for herself and her brother following her father Michael’s (Dara Devaney) imprisonment. Inspired by her father’s love of Muhammad Ali she develops a passion for boxing. When Michael is released, their peaceful life in the camp

€6 – €9

Recurring

EARLY YEARS: Little Movers and Shakers – Creative Dance

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Little Movers and Shakers - Creative Dance is a movement workshop for parents/guardians and toddlers/young children, where joyful, spontaneous expression is encouraged. Suitable for all, this is an opportunity to dance with your child - or alongside them - and learn some new moves yourself. Selma Daniel is a Dance Artist with over 20 years

€8

SPECIAL SCREENING: THE CAMINO VOYAGE

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

A crew including a Writer, two Musicians, an Artist and a Stonemason embark on the Camino by sea, in a traditional boat that they built themselves on an inspiring, and dangerous, 2,500 km modern day Celtic odyssey all the way from Ireland to Northern Spain. This intimate documentary charts the trials and tribulations of a

€6 – €9

VISUAL ART: In Transition

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

'In Transition' is an exhibition by Transition Year students from St. Farnan's Post Primary School, Prosperous, Co. Kildare, which took as its starting point the work of iconic photographers including Michael Kenna, Steve Mc Curry and Eliot Porter. Students conducted research and were encouraged to be inspired and influenced by these photographic styles and/or themes,

LIVE ART: Green Skies, A Double Rhythm

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Green Skies, A Double Rhythm is a new provocative site specific performance that looks at the ‘Wrens of the Curragh’; a marginalised community of women that lived in gorse bushes outside the army base in Kildare in the 19th Century. These women worked as sex workers and were outcast from society. Their actions and words

FREE, booking required

THEATRE: Halcyon Days by Deirdre Kinahan

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Patricia has a zest for life and men when she is thrust together with Sean who is languishing in a nursing home. They form a funny and spiky relationship but is friendship the most important thing? Don't miss this humorous and touching play. Deirdre Kinahan is one of Ireland's leading playwrights with recent hits such

€16 – €18

FAMILY THEATRE: Stick by Me by Andy Manley

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

When I wake up you are there Ready? Let’s run, play, hide. Follow me Don’t get lost. I will stick by you If you will Stick by me Stick by Me is a quirky, new show about friendship and play, and the importance of treasuring little things. Created by Andy Manley and Ian Cameron, co-creators

€8 – €28

CINEMA: DIEGO MARADONA

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

When Diego Maradona arrived in Naples in 1984, for a world-record fee, the cities cherished football team was transformed from lowly underachievers to Italian and European Champions. Venerated as a God, Maradona was subsumed into a city riddled with corruption, where even the Devil needed bodyguards. The third film from Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning director

€6 – €9
Recurring

School Show: The Dig

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

All his life Mac has wanted to be an Archaeologist, to be an expert in finding things and working out what they mean. If only he could stick to the facts and not get carried away with his highfalutin stories. But in a world where facts and figures mean so much more than fairy tale

TALK: My Wild Atlantic Journey with Colin Stafford-Johnson

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join wildlife filmmaker Colin Stafford-Johnson on a journey of discovery along the western seaboard of Ireland. Colin has been walking, exploring and filming wildlife along Ireland's wild Atlantic coast over the last 15 years. He recently presented the BBC series 'Wild Ireland - Edge of the World' - that featured some of his highlights. But

€14 – €16

WORKSHOP: Come Rain or Shine – STEAM workshop with Future Makers Collective

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Riverbank Arts Centre has joined forces once again with the Future Makers' Collective to bring you 'Come Rain or Shine'. In this two-hour workshop, we will be exploring the science behind various weather conditions, including rainfall, wind, tornados, rainbows and sunshine, through our own experiments and some arts and crafts. As one of our many

€12

FAMILY CINEMA: PICK OF THE LITTER

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Cameras follow these pups through an intense two-year odyssey as they train to become dogs whose ultimate responsibility is to protect their blind partners from harm. Along the way, these

€4

COMEDY: Further Ted

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Culchie Warriors brings two of the most memorable characters from Father Ted together for a night of hilarious stand up, sketches and musical comedy plus a chance to compete in a "Lovely Girls" competition. Joe Rooney (Father Damo) and Patrick McDonnell (Eoin McLove) are renowned stand-up comedians with a unique take on Irish society. Between

€18

CINEMA: SUNSET

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

1913, Budapest, the enigmatic Írisz Leiter (Juli Jakab) arrives in the Hungarian capital to seek employment at her deceased parents’ department store. Treated with suspicion she is rebuffed by new owner Oszkár Brill (Vlad Ivanov). But Írisz return precipitates the unearthing of family secrets and a violent, rogue brother, who is wanted for the murder

€6 – €9

KRF: Movie Night: The Wind That Shakes The Barley explored by Liz Gillis

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

This year Kildare Readers’ Festival embarks on a new venture - 'Movie Night' will explore famous books, events or themes through the medium of film. For 2019 KRF has teamed up with the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee to screen Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley - a somewhat controversial exploration of

THEATRE: SPLICED by Timmy Creed

Ballymore Eustace Handball Alley Sousheen Common, Ballymore Eustace, Kildare, Ireland

Chalk It Down Productions in association with The Everyman present: SPLICED Timmy is contemplating his 21 years playing GAA. Creed is now bringing sport and drama together exposing his relationship with the fastest field game in the world, hurling. Going along the journey of discovery and self-expression with Timmy is hard hitting, real, and eye-opening

€14 – €16

KRF: Douglas Kennedy in conversation with Rick O’Shea

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Kildare Readers’ Festival presents a special event honouring acclaimed writer Douglas Kennedy, international bestselling author of The Big Picture, The Pursuit of Happiness, and The Heat of Betrayal. Douglas will discuss his successful career with radio personality and noted champion of literature, Rick O’Shea. Rick has previously curated the Imagine Arts Festival and has hosted

FREE, booking advised

KRF: Ten Books You Should Read with Stefanie Preissner and Ferdia Mac Anna

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join us for the ever popular Ten Books You Should Read! Our guests Stefanie Preissner and Ferdia Mac Anna will select five books each that they would recommend and delve into the stories to illustrate why we should give them a try. Stefanie Preissner - Munich-born, Mallow-raised - is the creator of hit comedy-drama series

FREE, booking advised

KRF: Joseph O Connor, Kit De Waal and Henrietta McKervey

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

The Kildare Readers’ Festival is delighted to welcome back celebrated novelist, screenwriter, and playwright Joseph O'Connor (Star of the Sea, Ghost Light, Shadowplay), who will be joined by Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2017 winner Kit De Waal (My Name is Leon, The Trick to Time) for a discussion moderated by acclaimed author

FREE, booking advised

KRF: Persona Poetry Workshop with Christodoulos Makris

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Participants will be guided by Christodoulos Makris to make use of public texts to compose poetry in the personae of a range of current figures. This is a fun and interactive workshop, with the techniques employed adaptable to writing other kinds of poetry. Participants will also create an 'exquisite corpse' (a communally composed poem). Christodoulos

FREE, booking required

KRF: The First Page: Writing that compelling opening to your next short story

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Pauline Clooney, founder of the Kildare Writing Centre, will lead a workshop about 'openings' and how to make sure that the reader turns the first page and continues with your story. Using a guided free-write as a stimulus, the group will explore the elements of craft expected on the first page of a story, culminating

FREE, booking required

KRF: ‘Hot Off The Press’ event & Dennis O’Driscoll Literary Awards presentation

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join the participants from 'The First Page' and 'Persona Poetry' workshops led by Pauline Clooney and Christodoulus Makris for a sharing of work created that very afternoon - so 'hot off the press' that it might burn your fingers! We will also present the prestigious Dennis O'Driscoll Literary Bursary awards 2019 to an emerging and

FREE, booking advised

KRF: Ian Maleney and Jamie Goldrick live audio-visual literary documentary

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Set around a small family farm on the edge of a bog, a few miles from the river Shannon, Minor Monuments is a live audio-visual essay unfolding from the landscape of the Irish midlands. Taking in the physical and philosophical power of sound and music, and the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on a family, Ian

FREE, booking advised

KRF: Something Wicked This Way Comes with Niamh Boyce, Stacey Halls and Martina Devlin

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

'Tis the season of Samhain and the Kildare Readers’ Festival will celebrate with an exciting panel discussion examining the depiction and characterisation of witches within the canon of literature. Whether it's horror fiction or historical non-fiction, Witches and Wiccan culture have provided rich material for authors and scholars throughout the years. On hand for a riveting discourse on the topic will be acclaimed novelists

FREE, booking advised

KRF: Sunday Morning Sessions with Dermot Bolger and John Boyne

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Kildare Readers’ Festival is elated that Dermot Bolger (An Ark of Light, The Family on Paradise Pier) will return to our ever popular “Sunday Morning Sessions” for a relaxed and intimate conversation with acclaimed novelist and short story writer, John Boyne (The Hearts Invisible Furies, The Absolutist, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas). In a

FREE, booking advised

KRF: Emilie Pine and Arnold Fanning in conversation with Emily Hourican

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

The Kildare Readers’ Festival welcomes a duo of celebrated Irish authors, Emilie Pine (Notes to Self) and Arnold Thomas Fanning (Mind on Fire: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery), for a candid panel discussion on the most intimate of literature endeavours: memoirs. This event will be moderated by author and magazine editor, Emily Hourican (How

FREE, booking advised

CINEMA: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Los Angeles under a flaming sunset, rows of towering palm trees swaying in the breeze. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino's latest masterpiece, is imbued with the aesthetics of the City of Angels' inimitable glamour. Set in 1969, this Hollywood pastiche is the filmmaker's ode to the city of his childhood years, and

€6 – €9

ADULT WORKSHOP: Taster Ceramics Workshop with Eleanor Swan

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join and award-winning artist Eleanor Swan for a 2 hour taster ceramics workshop. Participants will explore the possibilities of working with two different types of clay: porcelain and stoneware clay. Each participant will make a birdhouse (as seen in the photo) and a floral decorative porcelain piece. Everyone’s work will be glazed and fired in

€20

ADULT WORKSHOP: Sewing Workshop for Beginners with Aideen Cross

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

Join with designer Aideen Cross for a sewing workshop for beginners and improvers who love to create with fabric. Overcome any fears you might have about creating your own clothes and learn the basic sewing machine skills (bring along your own if you have one). We’ll explore a few interesting projects to get you started

€20

ADULT WORKSHOP: Animation for Beginners with Paper Panther

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

In the workshop, participants will create their own hand-drawn morphing animation through drawing on paper and photographing it frame by frame under a camera. The results will be edited offsite and uploaded to the Paper Panther Vimeo page from which the participants can view and download the video. About Paper Panther Paper Panther are an

€20

THEATRE: Madhouse

Riverbank Arts Centre Main Street, Newbridge, Ireland

MADHOUSE is based on the unbelievable true life story of comedian PJ Gallagher. When PJ was ten, his Ma, a nurse, moved six men with schizophrenia into the family home to care for them full time. “It was like this. When you went through our front door and turned right, you were in mad land,

€16 – €18